Static
by FeyraWrites
Summary: An encounter with a villain leaves Jirou with serious tinnitus. To her anger, Kaminari refuses to leave her be. Pro Hero AU. Inspired by kaydeefoxx's BNHA charms.


Inspired by kaydeefoxx's glorious BNHA Pro Hero AU charms.

.

.

.

stat·ic

 _adjective_

 _lacking in movement, action, or change, especially in a way viewed as undesirable or uninteresting._

 _._

 _._

 _._

Silence. It's a beautiful, underappreciated thing. You never notice it's there until it's gone.

 **" _Jack, can you hear me?" Denki's voice blared through the comm installed in my headset, and I winced, subsequently flipping his volume down a few settings. The idiot never understood that simply_ whispering _would carry just as easily across the line._**

 **" _Loud and clear, Chargebolt, but would you mind not screaming into your mic? I'm not trying to go deaf."_**

 **" _Ahaha, sorryyyy," he replied cheerily. I could just imagine that bright, shit-eating grin on his face right now._**

 ** _Denki and I have been trailing this villain for months. The bastard was using his vibration Quirk to tamper with the city's sublevel structures, generating mock earthquakes and causing buildings to collapse from within. Hundreds were killed from a single apartment building last week._**

 ** _This was an ideal mission for me because not only were our Quirks both sound-based, but my Quirk could also be used to catch onto vibrations around me. I was perfect for tracking him down._**

"Kyouka, baby, you know I'm always here for you, right?" I hummed at Momo's words, absentmindedly drawing figure 8's in my porridge with my spoon.

The ringing was especially bothersome today, and I could barely register anything happening outside of the little bubble of me, my food, and the woman wringing her hands next to me. I started drumming my fingers against the bowl, a habit I had developed to focus on a different sound. It didn't help much, but it was _something_.

"I know, Momo. I'm fine." I didn't sound very convincing even to myself. She must've noticed, but thankfully didn't address it.

"I have to deliver a speech at another one of my parents' charity galas, but I can cancel if you want? I'll call Shouto to take over for me and we can just watch a movie or do whatever you like." Her voice tilted upwards with hope, but I couldn't bear the thought of taking up any more of her time.

My best friend had become a very popular utility hero, known for her beauty and genius intellect. She had also gained a lot of attention recently for her engagement to Todoroki, who was of course, a powerhouse hero in his own right.

She didn't belong here, in this dinky old apartment with the essentially Quirkless me.

All my old classmates were continuing with their lives and moving up in the hero scene, and here I was, stuck in a proverbial ditch. I felt a hot tendril of anger and shame swell within me.

Despite that, I forced a smile onto my lips and aimed it at her. "No, don't do that. I'll be okay here by myself. I'll watch your speech on TV okay? You're going to do amazing as always!"

I couldn't bear the pity in her eyes.

 **" _He's running towards the subway! I'm in pursuit!" I jumped over a bench, slipping past the people running away from the destruction ahead of me. The villain was shooting vibrations at cars and light poles, causing them to explode and topple over._**

 ** _It was a decent attempt at slowing me down, but futile nonetheless. I plugged my jacks into the amps on my arms and swept my hands in an arc, blasting all the debris before me into pieces. My heart thudded loudly in my ears, letting me use the sound to its full power._**

 **" _Stop right there!" I yelled, chasing after the stocky figure. The speakers above the subway station caught my attention and I extended one earlobe towards it, plugging into the sound system._**

 ** _The sound of my increased heartbeat blasted throughout the waiting dock and the man cried out, clutching at his head. He stumbled down a set of stairs that I knew led to an area with no exits and I pursued him with a smirk._**

 ** _I had him cornered._**

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

Out of commission until further notice. That's what the Pro Hero Association declared on the status of the Hearing Hero: Earphone Jack. The doctors diagnosed my new condition as tinnitus, the perception of noise where it does not exist. To me, all of their words meant nothing short of disabled. Useless. _Retired_.

The government officials that swarmed into my hospital room had me sign non-accountability forms that I numbly acknowledged before they vanished just as quickly as they appeared. How funny it was to me. As if I would hold anyone but myself responsible for this.

Denki was next to me when they came, and the murderous look he directed at those people somewhat comforted me. At least I wasn't the only one who saw how fucked up it was. Even so, I stopped him with a hand when it looked like he was going to go after them. "It's not worth it."

He turned and looked at me helplessly, as if _he_ was the one who couldn't use his Quirk anymore. His eyes traveled to the side of my face, where my precious earlobes were heavily bandaged, and I shifted uncomfortably. The hand that wasn't on his arm was gripping my bedsheet in an iron-tight clasp and he noticed.

The ringing was steadily growing louder.

 ** _I didn't expect him to physically leap at me. I should have. He was a cornered and desperate animal. My hand-to-hand combat skills were average at best, nothing compared to Uraraka's and Bakugou's. Sure, I could hold my own, but since I was taken by surprise I toppled under the villain's weight._**

 ** _He was quick for his size, and so damn strong! My legs were firmly pinned by his knees, and I struggled to release my arms from under his firm grip. I tried to shake him off me, but that didn't work either. I suddenly felt so very small under this man, and it terrified me._**

 ** _He ripped my mufflers from my head and fingered one of my extended earlobes. "Your ears must be very valuable to you for such a great sound Quirk. Am I right, Earphone Jack?" His slimy breath washed over me and I fought the urge to gag._**

 ** _I tried to turn my head to bite his fingers. "Get your hands off me!" I growled, trying to hide my fear behind my fury._**

 **" _It would certainly be a shame to lose them." The villain grasped my plug-like earlobes in both of his clammy little paws and activated his vibrations right into my ears._**

 ** _I screamed._**

 ** _Excruciating waves of pain pulsed through my head, and I had the distinct sensation of something shattering. In those moments of pain I felt like I was spiraling, spiraling out of control into a place I couldn't come back from._**

 ** _The villain was suddenly blasted away from me by a furious surge of lightning, and I fell to the ground, shaking._**

 ** _That was when the ringing began. It was low at first, so low that I hadn't noticed it was there until I realized I couldn't hear the sound of my heartbeat anymore._**

 **" _Jack? Earphone Jack, what's wrong? Kyouka answer me!" A panicked voice sounded off somewhere far away, dulled by the overwhelming noise in my ears. I felt strong hands drag me away, and in my shock, I thrashed against the person's arms like a woman unhinged until I realized it was Denki. He had come for me?_**

 ** _I couldn't hear anything clearly. It was only that horrid ringing sound that drowned out everything around me. Was I dying? I blinked rapidly, staring up at the blinding lights of the subway station, wishing for death to come swiftly as I was picked up by a sobbing Denki._**

A series of loud knocks at the door jarred me away from my task, and I scrambled to my feet from my position on the floor. I hastily threw the small speaker I had been attempting to practice on under the couch and went to see who was making such a ruckus.

Needless to say, I was very displeased to see who my next visitor was. "Stop coming over. You're disturbing the neighbors with how loud you are." My words were blunt, but it was really getting on my nerves how often Denki came to see me.

"They should be pretty used to all the noise you make playing your guitars. I mean, I got pretty desensitized back at UA," he said, grinning. I stiffened up at his words, and his smile faltered when he remembered. "I-I'm sorry."

I shook my head to signal that it was okay, but thinking about my beloved guitars gathering dust in the closet made me more sad than I wanted to show. Instead, I rolled my eyes and moved aside, letting him through the doorway. He shouldered past me, placing some bags on the kitchen counter and opening the fridge.

"I had Bakugou make you some more food. Uraraka sure is lucky to have a such a _housewife_ in her boyfriend. If it were her cooking, I'm sure they'd die within the week, because that shit is just _awful_ let me tell ya…"

"Uh huh," I mumbled, barely able to focus on Denki's rambling. I frowned to myself when I noticed the ringing suddenly increase in volume. God, couldn't I get a break? I winced when the sound blared up, as if to spite my thoughts.

"Kyouka? You alright? Is it bothering you again?" He was at my side in an instant, hovering over me like some mother hen. He placed one hand on my shoulder and used the other to gingerly turn my chin towards him, surveying me closely.

Denki had become more and more liberal with physical touches since my accident. I don't know why. We had always been close, but never truly crossed the line as many expected us to, even back in school. The rumors had only escalated when we declared ourselves partners.

"I'm fine, Denki, would you just get off my ass?" I stammered, stumbling away from him. The ringing grew louder and more persistent, equating itself with my growing panic as he stubbornly followed suit and continued invading my space.

I shoved my hands at his chest to create some distance, which was an utterly fruitless effort. It was like trying to move a fucking boulder. He had gotten _solid_ over the years, and I cursed Bakugou for making his friends follow his crazy training regimen every weekend since UA.

I fixed my face into an all too familiar expression of disinterest when I looked up at him. He had a worried grimace painted over his features, and it unnerved me. Denki's handsome face wasn't meant to look so...mournful. _You're supposed to be the happy one stupid._

"I know you're trying your best, but please...don't push me away." He murmured, voice breaking as he placed a hand lightly on my neck. "I can't lose you."

Of course he would see right through me. He always has. I don't even know why I bother trying to hide my poor attempts at transmitting my Quirk through small objects anymore, because he started bringing over all sorts of trinkets for me to practice with, as ineffective as they were.

Wet, burning tears slid down my cheeks as I felt my mask break at his soft words. I grabbed Denki's shirt, willing him to take the pain away somehow. His hand gently drew my head into his shoulder and I buried my face in his neck, feeling the sobs slowly begin to wrack my body.

"I can't tell what's real anymore, Denki. I hear things that aren't there, and I can't use my Quirk or play my guitars or even _listen to music_ anymore. I just feel so-" He shushed my desperate cries, and I resorted to sobbing out my terrible confessions into his jacket.

I couldn't deny it any longer. The Kyouka that worked her ass off at UA, that had clawed her way up the ranks, that had finally made a name for herself as the competent hero Earphone Jack, was gone. I was no one now, and the emptiness in my heart grew heavy at that thought.

"Am I going crazy?" The words croaked out of me and I pulled back to look up at him through my tears.

Denki's grip loosened suddenly, his arms breaking their tight clasp around me. He was always wearing those stupid gloves, so I never realized just how calloused his skin was until he pressed his palms to my cheeks, his index fingers dipping into my ears.

The ringing faltered as my attention was drawn to his face. His golden eyes had a steady determination that seared me to the core. "Kyouka," he murmured softly. In that beautiful moment, I was able to focus my ears on something other than that torturous ringing. Kaminari Denki was here, in front of me, and his voice was leading me out of my self-anointed darkness.

"Busted up or not-" he began slowly, his thumbs tracing a trail of fire back and forth across my skin, "you're still _my hero_ , Kyouka." My heart leapt at his declaration.

He pulled me back in, but instead of just an hug, his lips melded with mine in a soft yet fierce affirmation of his words. My whole body froze up at first, but his mouth quickly melted my defenses, and I found myself responding with a vigor that I didn't ever remember having.

My hands snaked their way around his neck, and we stumbled around the room until Denki's back slammed into a wall. We slid down it together, and he moved my smaller body properly onto his lap, letting me straddle his hips. Our embrace was far from lustful, though not without passion. I was channeling all the anger I had in me for the last two months into bruising kisses against Denki's mouth.

It was anger at the man who made me like this. Anger at myself for not being able to fight back. Anger at Denki for not leaving me to be the hero for others that I knew he was, for choosing to stay with the partner that let him down.

Denki finally pulled away, his chest heaving, and tucked my head once more into the safety of his neck. My fingers clutched at his jacket in a death-grip now, and he seemed to sense that I was holding on for dear life. He was the only real thing to me anymore and I was afraid to let go.

"So, will you let me be _yours_?" His words washed over me like a soothing balm, and I sniffed, burrowing my nose further into his comforting scent.

"You've always been my hero, you stubborn fool." I whispered, and I felt his hand come up to cradle my head, his long fingers slowly threading through the strands of my hair. Resting in his arms, my heartbeat was louder than the ringing could ever be and for the first time in a long time, I felt hope.

I may never recover from my tinnitus. I could wake up one morning with complete silence once more, or the ringing could continue for the rest of my life. But I knew I would never stop trying to make it better, to be a hero again. Earphone Jack didn't die the day that man shattered my ears. No one and nothing could truly take that away from me.

Denki taught me that. With his actions, he showed me that persistence paid off. With his words he reassured me that I was strong, with or without the use of my Quirk. With his gentle kisses and sweet touch, he confirmed that life would always get better.

I knew with absolutely certainty that he would be here with me on my journey to recovery, every step of the way. My imbecile. My anchor. My love.

 _Thank you._


End file.
